Chapter 298: I Am Here

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

"Neither of you stepped out of this area once?"

There was no response.

"Is it that hard?" Lu Mingshu sighed.

"To be honest, we don't even know what went wrong," the uncle answered. "We got the key from the guards and broke the barriers here, but before we could step out of the cell area, the Drug Lord noticed it and..." He shuddered.

Knowing what kind of weirdo the Drug Lord was, the uncle didn't need to finish his sentence for Lu Mingshu to know the outcome.

"Tell me your experiences," Lu Mingshu said. "We need a clear view of what caused the failures in order to succeed."

After three days, Lu Mingshu strolled up and down her cell after cultivating.

It's quiet today. She stopped in front of the gate and went into deep thought. She then gave it a slap.

Poison came out from her palm and left a handprint on the gate.

When she removed her hand, there was nothing other than a small scratch.

That's powerful! If that hits the guards, they will surely be almost dead. Such a pity, from what the grandma has said, no one else can do anything.

What's the reason for that?

She heard footsteps coming toward her cell, followed by the guard's voice. "Number Five!"

Again? Lu Mingshu sighed and followed them to the lab.

...

Inside the small room, Xie Lianzhen sat up straight and copied the ingredient list one by one thoroughly.

My guess should be correct. These past few days, the Drug Lord keeps going to a certain place. Is that where he hides his secrets? I hope he'll choose a later time to catch the new drug man so that Zhanghui will have time to react.

I also finally have the Drug Lord's trust, so I can finally move around on my own freely. I will need time to find out everything. If I'm too impatient, there's no doubt that I'll arouse his suspicious and ruin everything I've accomplished so far.

A guard stood outside the room and called for him, "Sir, the Drug Lord is calling you over."

For the experiment? That's fast. The Drug Lord keeps his promises.

"Okay. Please lead the way."

Xie Lianzhen stood up slowly and brought along the pieces of paper he was looking at.

He walked with slow and small steps behind the guards. It had been a long time since Xie Lianzhen walked. Of course, why would he waste this precious chance to observe the place?

As he slowly walked along the tunnel, he couldn't help but miss Lu Mingshu. It would be perfect if she was here. She's observant and has a good memory, it would be a great help. Haish, where is she now though...?

Upon reaching the lab in the cave, Xie Lianzhen saw something that caused him to stop in his tracks.

Seeing him rooted to the ground, the Drug Lord stomped and waved to him. "Boy, hurry up!"

Lu Mingshu was already tied to the bucket, and the liquids had now reached her neck.

She was very awake, but she was expressionless like this was something that she was already used to.

Hearing the call, she looked up.

Of course, she saw Xie Lianzhen, but just a glance. She immediately looked away as if she didn't know who he was and put her attention on the liquids being poured into the bucket.

"Hey, boy!" the Drug Lord shouted, but he didn't stop his actions.

Xie Lianzhen took in a deep breath and walked over slowly, looking at Lu Mingshu in shock.

"Drug Lord, where are the previous records?"

The Drug Lord didn't pay much attention to him. He pointed to the stone table. "Help yourself."

Xie Lianzhen picked up the papers scattered around the table and tried to decipher the almost illegible handwriting. He was already used to the Drug Lord's weird character, but he didn't expect a pharmacist to be this messy. It was no wonder he always failed; his records were all over the place, and he didn't even bother looking back at them. Medicinal science was a study where every single detail was extremely important.

But the messy work was not what made chills run down Xie Lianzhen's spine. It was the drugs used and the quantity that made his heart sink. He looked over to Lu Mingshu. Seeing her looking fine, he heaved a sigh of relief.

He had experienced how much pain these drugs could cause, and this dosage would bring her even more pain than what he faced.

Why does she still seem to be okay? What's going on?

"Here, drink this!" The Drug Lord took a bowl. He was about to feed Lu Mingshu when Xie Lianzhen stopped him.

"I'll do it."

The Drug Lord nodded and gave him the bowl.

Xie Lianzhen didn't force it down her throat immediately. Instead, he dipped his finger into it and put it into his mouth. "Qianluo Seed, Sanghārāma Fruit, Jade Hepta-Lotus..." He named out the ingredients one by one. "Drug Lord, am I right?"

"You're talented!" the Drug Lord said without suspicion.

Xie Lianzhen said nothing and held up Lu Mingshu's chin, putting the bowl near her mouth as if he was going to force it down.

Feeling his extremely cold fingers, Lu Mingshu looked up, making eye contact with him.

He blocked the Drug Lord's view as he did this.

Lu Mingshu saw him mouthing the word, "Endure."

She remained silent and took this whole bowl down.

She could feel the bowl of liquid reach her stomach like a ball of fire, then spread to the rest of her body.

Xie Lianzhen took the bowl back and put it on the table. He then took a piece of paper and recorded the dosage that he fed her with. He then questioned the Drug Lord on the process.

With him asking various questions, the Drug Lord had no time to think. He sped up his actions and tried to keep up with Xie Lianzhen's pace.

During this experiment, Lu Mingshu was fully awake. She could remember the conversation between Xie Lianzhen and the Drug Lord, the names of the drugs, and the dosages too. When the pain overtook her, she didn't faint. Instead, her body took in the poison and changed it to energy.

Only

When the experiment was finished, she didn't even have the energy to open her eyes, but she was still awake.

She could hear Xie Lianzhen's voice at her ears. "Drug Lord, she seems weird. We have fed her with Scorpio Poison, yet there's no effect on her. Should we leave her here to observe?"

"Eh? Is that so?"

"If one is fed with Scorpio Poison, their skin should turn purple, but hers hasn't. What if her body constitution is special?"

"...that makes sense. Let's keep her here. Send her to the first room."

"Okay."

Lu Mingshu could tell that she was being carried up to somewhere. Not long after, she was placed on a cold surface, and someone whispered into her ears, "I'm right here."